New Lungs for Chris
Donation protected
With New Lungs a New Life for My Son.
We are starting this gofundme campaign for Christopher because he would like to have a chance at what we deem a “normal” life. We are asking for help to raise $50,000.00 to cover the first year of living and medical expenses, as he must move to San Francisco to be close the hospital while awaiting his Double Lung Transplant.
My Journey as a mom to Christopher has been a long road. It is hard as a parent to be told your infant son has a rare lung disease and the doctors have never seen this before. As we journeyed together the milestones we crossed were very hard. The doctors did not think Chris would live through his childhood because of the severity of his lung condition. The medical term for his disease is “Unknown Interstitial Lung disease" with "pulmonary hypertension”. What does all this mean? It meant that at 11 years old the lung disease progressed too severely that Christopher had to have continuous oxygen 24 hours a day. He has had to carry a tank of Oxygen everywhere he goes. How did this affect him? He could not go and play at the park and run around, and do things other kids his age could do, he couldn’t participate in a lot of family activities with his aunts, uncles, and cousins because of the fear of the activity being too physically challenging; he could not play any sports, and any outings always took careful planning to make sure that he always has adequate oxygen. Does the lung disease cause him pain? Yes it does. The medications would make his body ache, he would get terrible migraines, and just getting a common cold or the flu is catastrophic for him. There is so much more I could add to this list but I want to move forward to the Important part!
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART
Chris has defied the odds and has lived beyond his teen years and is now 22. There have been lots of obstacles he has had to overcome to make it this far, and anyone who knows him can tell you how much strength he possesses. He pushed himself through elementary , and his middle school years. He never set foot inside a high school, but he eventually got his GED so he could begin college. This enabled him to leave home to start community college a few hours away. It was something he enjoyed as he finally felt a little independence. He had just been accepted to Texas A&M University, his dream school, when his disease just became too progressed for him to continue with college. He hopes that he will be able to fulfill this dream after he undergoes his transplant. I cannot put into words how proud I am as his mother for what he has been able to accomplish despite facing such limitations.
What does a new life mean using the word “normal”?
A successful transplant will give him some normalcy. He can go back to college and finish his degree. He will have the freedom to walk from the car to the class without feeling like he is going to pass out. He will have the energy to not only participate in class but also take part in many activities that have always been out of his reach. He’ll be able to get a job and support himself without worrying he will be discriminated against because he is carrying a back pack with oxygen and tubing on his face. He will finally be able to live independently, like anyone his age, without the need for someone to help him with everyday tasks. He will be able to do things he has never been able to do, those everyday normal thinks that most people take for granted, like washing his car; Swimming in a pool without pain; learning to surf, or walking around an entire mall. He will finally have the breath to do them.
We need your help. Your donation would help Chris achieve this goal. He will need to be living in San Francisco, because that is where he has access to the best team of Doctors. They have the experience with treating this rare disease as well as some of the best lung transplant statistics. He cannot work to support himself and will need financial assistance for living expenses and medical costs not covered by insurance.
My promise to you, the donor, is to give an accounting for all the money. I want you to know how it is being used as you are a very important part of this new journey, one we cannot take without your support. We are going to keep a video journal of this journey to share with his friends who have supported him through this and you can follow Christopher on (twitter) , (Facebook), and (Youtube) .
Thank you from every part of my heart.
God Bless
We are starting this gofundme campaign for Christopher because he would like to have a chance at what we deem a “normal” life. We are asking for help to raise $50,000.00 to cover the first year of living and medical expenses, as he must move to San Francisco to be close the hospital while awaiting his Double Lung Transplant.
My Journey as a mom to Christopher has been a long road. It is hard as a parent to be told your infant son has a rare lung disease and the doctors have never seen this before. As we journeyed together the milestones we crossed were very hard. The doctors did not think Chris would live through his childhood because of the severity of his lung condition. The medical term for his disease is “Unknown Interstitial Lung disease" with "pulmonary hypertension”. What does all this mean? It meant that at 11 years old the lung disease progressed too severely that Christopher had to have continuous oxygen 24 hours a day. He has had to carry a tank of Oxygen everywhere he goes. How did this affect him? He could not go and play at the park and run around, and do things other kids his age could do, he couldn’t participate in a lot of family activities with his aunts, uncles, and cousins because of the fear of the activity being too physically challenging; he could not play any sports, and any outings always took careful planning to make sure that he always has adequate oxygen. Does the lung disease cause him pain? Yes it does. The medications would make his body ache, he would get terrible migraines, and just getting a common cold or the flu is catastrophic for him. There is so much more I could add to this list but I want to move forward to the Important part!
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART
Chris has defied the odds and has lived beyond his teen years and is now 22. There have been lots of obstacles he has had to overcome to make it this far, and anyone who knows him can tell you how much strength he possesses. He pushed himself through elementary , and his middle school years. He never set foot inside a high school, but he eventually got his GED so he could begin college. This enabled him to leave home to start community college a few hours away. It was something he enjoyed as he finally felt a little independence. He had just been accepted to Texas A&M University, his dream school, when his disease just became too progressed for him to continue with college. He hopes that he will be able to fulfill this dream after he undergoes his transplant. I cannot put into words how proud I am as his mother for what he has been able to accomplish despite facing such limitations.
What does a new life mean using the word “normal”?
A successful transplant will give him some normalcy. He can go back to college and finish his degree. He will have the freedom to walk from the car to the class without feeling like he is going to pass out. He will have the energy to not only participate in class but also take part in many activities that have always been out of his reach. He’ll be able to get a job and support himself without worrying he will be discriminated against because he is carrying a back pack with oxygen and tubing on his face. He will finally be able to live independently, like anyone his age, without the need for someone to help him with everyday tasks. He will be able to do things he has never been able to do, those everyday normal thinks that most people take for granted, like washing his car; Swimming in a pool without pain; learning to surf, or walking around an entire mall. He will finally have the breath to do them.
We need your help. Your donation would help Chris achieve this goal. He will need to be living in San Francisco, because that is where he has access to the best team of Doctors. They have the experience with treating this rare disease as well as some of the best lung transplant statistics. He cannot work to support himself and will need financial assistance for living expenses and medical costs not covered by insurance.
My promise to you, the donor, is to give an accounting for all the money. I want you to know how it is being used as you are a very important part of this new journey, one we cannot take without your support. We are going to keep a video journal of this journey to share with his friends who have supported him through this and you can follow Christopher on (twitter) , (Facebook), and (Youtube) .
Thank you from every part of my heart.
God Bless
Organizer
Molly Plant
Organizer
Richmond, TX
